Goodyear's blimps, a century of gracing the sky (pictures) - Page 21 - CNET Goodyear's blimps, a century of gracing the sky (pictures) Goodyear's blimps, a century of gracing the sky (pictures) AD Pilgrim NC-9A AKRON, Ohio -- Goodyear has been in the airship business since 1911. The tire company designed its first airship envelope for photographer and explorer Melvin Vaniman, who lost his life when his hydrogen filled ship "Akron" exploded in 1912. But Goodyear's airships have a long and successful history, which CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman learned about when he visited the company's Wingfoot Lake airship operations hangar near Akron on Road Trip 2013. This is a gallery of the company's greatest blimps, the earliest of which were built by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. According to Goodyear, the AD Pilgrim was the United States' first commercial airship, which was certified in 1925.

It was "inflated with hydrogen then helium [and] Pilgrim is considered the start of the present day Goodyear commercial fleet. Its control car was the first to be directly attached at the envelope. The gondola was donated to the Smithsonian Intuition in Washington, D.C. in the 1930s where it remains today." Photo by: Goodyear TZ Puritan NC-7A The Puritan was the first TZ model airship, and America's first permanent licensed airship. It was based in Miami. According to Goodyear, this photo "shows Puritan advertising for an air show, part of Goodyear–Zeppelin’s business plan of selling, renting or advertising airships. The airships also towed banners and sold rides to public." Photo by: Goodyear TZ Volunteer NC-8A This photograph shows the Volunteer, which was based in Los Angeles, in 1929. The photograph depicts Volunteer with floatation devices, which showed Goodyear-Zeppelin's goal of extending innovation in airships to many possible applications.

Photo by: Goodyear Six airship formation This photograph, from the 1930s, shows the largest gathering of Goodyear airships up to that point. According to Goodyear, "The formation consisted of Pilgrim, Vigilant, Mayflower, Defender and Neponset [with] Neponset... conducting pay for hire aerial advertising." Photo by: Goodyear Graf Zeppelin and Goodyear airships This rare image, taken in Akron, Ohio, shows "the Goodyear airships frolicking with Graf Zeppelin, which has just cased off for a nonstop flight to Seville, Spain. This was the last time a ridged airship was in Akron, Ohio," according to Goodyear. Photo by: Goodyear PA Defender NC-12A The Defender, which was christened by Amelia Earhart, was called the "Flagship of the Fleet" and was the largest member of the fleet. Goodyear was experimenting with diesel engines and bow elevators and later sold the Defender to the U.S. Navy.

The photograph shows Defender in the northeast corner of Goodyear's mammoth Airdock for maintenance "with a rudimentary night sign with some of the first framing of the Navy ridged airship U.S.S Akron," according to Goodyear. Photo by: Goodyear TZ Rainbow NC-9A This rare color image, featuring Goodyear's typical pre-World War II logo, shows the Rainbow, which was drafted into the service of the U.S. Navy as L-7 during the war. Photo by: Goodyear Resolute The Resolute "was the only airship on the West Coast of the U.S. in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor," according to Goodyear. "The image shows the Resolute and crew, as with the rest of the Goodyear airship fleet and crews, being inducted into the defense of the United States. The missions were to search for Japanese submarines, but coming directly from a commercial service they initially only used hunting rifles to perform this task." Photo by: Goodyear Puritan The Puritan was built for the U.S. Navy for anti-submarine warfare during World War II.

All told, 134 of these K-Ships were built, and Goodyear acquired this one after the war "to experiment with the 'Trans Lux' night sign found in New York City," according to Goodyear. It became Goodyear's largest commercial airship to that point. Photo by: Goodyear L-Ship Enterprise The Enterprise was an L-Ship World War II-era design that, according to Goodyear, "was designated as a trainer [which along] with sister ship Ranger were the mainstays of the Goodyear blimp fleet of the late 1940s to the end of the '50s. The image shows Enterprise moored to the auxiliary mast mounted on the crew bus." Photo by: Goodyear GZ-19 Mayflower N4A This was the first GZ-19 design that replaced the L-Ship design of the World War II era. According to Goodyear, "it featured an updated engine package, larger envelope and avionics.

[The] Mayflower was the only inflated Goodyear blimp at the end of the 1950s and was thought to be the 'last Goodyear Blimp.'" Photo by: Goodyear Ranger in color According to Goodyear, "this is a rare dramatic color image of Ranger at Akron Municipal airport in the early 1950s. It exhibits the color scheme, slightly weathered, that was standard, which was a 3D two-tone paint scheme carried by all Goodyear blimps at the time." Photo by: Goodyear GZ-19A Columbia The Columbia, and its sister airship, the Mayflower, "were the only airships operating continuously in the U.S. and the world in the 1960s," according to Goodyear. This photograph shows Columbia coming into land at the Wingfoot Lake hangar near Akron, Ohio. Photo by: Goodyear Five airship formation Taken in 1969, this was the "largest gathering of Goodyear airships since the 1930s at Wingfoot Lake," according to Goodyear.

The photograph shows the company's old GZ-19As Columbia and Mayflower, along with the new GZ-19A Mayflower and the new GZ-20s Columbia and America. Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20 America Launched in 1969, the America was the first GZ-20 airship and the forerunner of today's Goodyear blimp fleet, according to the company. The GZ-20 had larger volume, engines, night sign, and a longer endurance than the GZ-19A. Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20A Europa The Europa was the first model GZ-20A airship and featured a larger volume, a stronger car structure, and a greater gross weight than the GZ-20, according to Goodyear. The Europa was the first Goodyear blimp to be based internationally, with its home base in Rome. It traveled around Western Europe for 14 years and is seen here flying over Venice, Italy.

Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20 Columbia The Columbia, and her sister GZ-20, the America, "were designed to carry a large incandescent night sign on both sides," according to Goodyear. "The signs were powered by an auxiliary jet turbine engine. Along with the America and Mayflower, they formed the backbone of [Goodyear's blimp] operations in the U.S." Photo by: Goodyear GZ-19A Mayflower This GZ-19A, the Mayflower, was the last airship of its kind. Afterwards, Goodyear moved its Florida operations to Pompano Breach and flew GZ-20s there. Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20A Enterprise The Enterprise, a GZ-20A, was one of the most successful airships in Goodyear's history. It flew for 12 years and helped establish Goodyear's blimp presence in Pompano Beach, Fla. The photograph shows Enterprise at Wingfoot Lake being prepped for a cross-country flight.

Photo by: Goodyear Three blimp formation flight The blimps America and Enterprise, both GZ-20As, along with the GZ-22 Spirit of Akron, in formation flight over the company's former complex at Akron Municipal airport. Photo by: Goodyear The GZ-20A America was based in Houston for 10 years. Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20A Columbia The Columbia was the company's last virtually brand new GZ-20A airship, according to Goodyear. It was based in Los Angeles and was in service for six years. "In 1992 Columbia was renamed Eagle and the paint scheme was changed from silver and black to the new familiar blue and gold colors that Goodyear" has used ever since, according to the company. Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20A Stars & Stripes The Stars & Stripes, a GZ-20A, was based in Pompano, Beach, Fla., for seven years. This was the standard Goodyear blimp color scheme of the 1990s.

Photo by: Goodyear GZ-22 Spirit of Akron According to Goodyear, the GZ-22 Spirit of Akron was "originally designed to take advantage of new technologies applied to airships. It was greater in volume, mechanical horsepower, and electrical capacity than a GZ-20A. [It] was the first airship in the world with a fly-by-wire flight control system, turbine engines, and [it] also featured a retractable landing gear." The Spirit of Akron was in service for 12 years, based in both Pompano Beach, Fla., and Akron, Ohio. Photo by: Goodyear Four blimp formation flight This photograph shows a formation flight over Wingfoot Lake consisting of Eagle, Stars & Stripes, Spirit of Goodyear, and the newly completed Spirit of America on her christening day, according to Goodyear. Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20A Stars & Stripes This is the Stars & Stripes, the second blimp flying with that name.

It was based out of Pompano, Beach, Fla., for seven years and was replaced by Goodyear's current blimp, the Spirit of Innovation in 2006. Photo by: Goodyear GZ-20A Eagle This is the Eagle, which was based out of Los Angeles for 10 years until 2002 when it was replaced by the current blimp, the Spirit of America. Photo by: Goodyear Collection: The Goodyear Blimp Collection 30s 40s dance film Busby Berkeley (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berkeley's works used large numbers of showgirls and props as fantasy elements in kaleidoscopic on-screen performances. Career Berkeley was born to stage actress Gertrude Berkeley. Among Gertrude's friends were actress Amy Busby and actor William Gillette, then only four years away from playing Sherlock Holmes.

Gertrude apparently named her son after both Busby and Gillette after they agreed to be the boy's godparents. The boy was named Busby Berkeley William Enos.[1] In addition to her stage work, Gertrude played mother roles in silent films while Berkley was still a child. Berkeley made his stage debut at five, acting in the company of his performing family. During World War I, Berkeley served as a field artillery lieutenant. Watching soldiers drill may have inspired his later complex choreography. During the 1920s, Berkeley was a dance director for nearly two dozen Broadway musicals, including such hits as A Connecticut Yankee. As a choreographer, Berkeley was less concerned with the terpsichorean skill of his chorus girls as he was with their ability to form themselves into attractive geometric patterns. His musical numbers were among the largest and best-regimented on Broadway. The “By A Waterfall” production number from Footlight Parade (1933) made use of one of the largest soundstages ever built, constructed especially by Warner Bros. to film Berkeley's creations.

His earliest movie jobs were on Samuel Goldwyn's Eddie Cantor musicals, where he began developing such techniques as a “parade of faces” (individualizing each chorus girl with a loving close-up), and moving his dancers all over the stage (and often beyond) in as many kaleidoscopic patterns as possible.[citation needed] Berkeley's top shot technique (the kaleidoscope again, this time shot from overhead) appeared seminally in the Cantor films, and also the 1932 Universal programmer Night World (where he choreographed the number "Who's Your Little Who-Zis?"). His numbers were known for starting out in the realm of the stage, but quickly exceeding this space by moving into a time and place that could only be cinematic, only to return to shots of an applauding audience and the fall of a curtain.

As choreographer, Berkeley was allowed a certain degree of independence in his direction of musical numbers, and they were often markedly distinct from (and sometimes in contrast to) the narrative sections of the films.[citation needed] The numbers he choreographed were mostly upbeat and focused on decoration as opposed to substance; one exception to this is the number “Remember My Forgotten Man” from Gold Diggers of 1933, which dealt with the treatment of soldiers in a post-World War I Depression. Berkeley's popularity with an entertainment-hungry Great Depression audience was secured when he choreographed four musicals back-to-back for Warner Bros.: 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, the aforementioned Gold Diggers of 1933 and Fashions of 1934, as well as In Caliente and Wonder Bar with Dolores del Río.

Berkeley's innovative and often sexually-charged dance numbers have been analyzed at length by cinema scholars.[specify] In particular, the numbers have been critiqued for their display (and some say exploitation) of the female form as seen through the “male gaze”, and for their depiction of collectivism (as opposed to traditionally American rugged individualism) in the spirit of Roosevelt's New Deal. Berkeley always denied any deep significance to his work, arguing that his main professional goals were to constantly top himself and to never repeat his past accomplishments.[citation needed] As the outsized musicals in which Berkeley specialized became passé, he turned to straight directing. The result was 1939's They Made Me a Criminal, one of John Garfield's best films. Berkeley had several well-publicized run-ins with MGM stars such as Judy Garland.

In 1943, he was removed as director of Girl Crazy because of disagreements with Garland, although the lavish musical number "I Got Rhythm", which he directed, remained in the picture.[2] His next stop was at 20th Century-Fox for 1943's The Gang's All Here, in which Berkeley choreographed Carmen Miranda's “Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat” number. The film made money, but Berkeley and the Fox brass disagreed over budget matters.[citation needed] Berkeley returned to MGM in the late 1940s, where among many other accomplishments he conceived the Technicolor finales for the studio's Esther Williams films. Berkeley's final film as choreographer was MGM's Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962). Collection: The Goodyear Blimp Everything you wanted to know about the Goodyear Blimp Curated by Jason Forrest Collection blimp cremaster goodyear tires The Goodyear Blimp is the collective name for a fleet of blimps operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for advertising purposes and for use as a television camera platform for aerial views of sporting events.

Goodyear began producing airship envelopes in 1911 and introduced its own blimp, The Pilgrim, in 1925. Fleet Spirit of Goodyear, based in Suffield Township, Ohio near Akron Spirit of America, based in Carson, California Spirit of Innovation, based in Pompano Beach, Florida All three craft are outfitted with LED sign technology Goodyear calls "Eaglevision." This allows the aircraft to display bright, multi-colored, animated words and images. Goodyear also has blimps operating in other parts of the world. These airships are built and operated by The Lightship Group of Orlando, Florida . In May 2011 Goodyear announced it will be replacing its fleet of blimps with three Zeppelins [1] Lifting agent The blimps are filled with helium . The helium is maintained under low pressure , so small punctures do not pose serious consequences for the blimp. In fact, one inspection element of the blimps is to look into the envelope for pinpoints of light which are indicative of small holes.

The blimps have infrequently been hit by small-arms fire from the ground.[ citation needed ] Also, birds can hit blimps and make small beak holes. These incidents have not resulted in any serious consequences to the blimp or its crew. The Goodyear blimps are non-rigid (meaning their shape is not maintained by a rigid internal structure) dirigibles (directable/steerable airships). However, the term dirigible is seldom used in connection with blimps, being associated more with the great rigid airships of the past. Inside their exterior envelope, the Goodyear blimps are equipped with gas bladders. As the blimp ascends or descends, the internal bladders expand or contract to compensate for density changes and to maintain uniform pressure in the envelope. Classes Goodyear blimp The three modern types of Goodyear blimps, since the 1960s, are: GZ-19, GZ-20 and GZ-22. The GZ stands for Goodyear-Zeppelin, stemming from the partnership Goodyear had with the German company when both were building airships together.

However these three classes came many years after this partnership had dissolved during the start of World War II. The GZ-1 was the USS Akron , the U.S. Navy's flying aircraft carrier. GZ-19: Introduced in 1963 and discontinued in 1978 after the loss of Mayflower (N38A). The design for this class resembles the U.S. Navy's L class blimp . GZ-20: This class is what the current American fleet is composed of. Introduced in 1969, with the America (N10A) and Columbia (N3A) being the first two. This class is slightly longer than GZ-19. However, in 2013 Goodyear will be retiring the GZ-20 and replacing with the Zeppelin NT . GZ-22: The only airship in this class was the Spirit of Akron (N4A). Originally built in 1987 to show the U.S. Department of Defense that airships were still militarily viable, it was the largest and most technically advanced ship Goodyear ever had in its public relations fleet, featuring fly-by-wire technology.

However, Spirit was lost in 1999 and the company has not built one since, most likely because of the large expense to build and operate one due to its size and advanced technology. Zeppelin NT: Goodyear confirmed on May 3, 2011, that they will reinstate their long lost partnership with Zeppelin. Goodyear has ordered three Zeppelin NT LZ N07-101 models with plans to commence operation in January 2014. [2] However, the Zeppelin NT will be the successor to the current GZ-20 in Goodyear airship advertising. Dimensions According to the Goodyear website, the three active GZ-20 blimps are 192 feet (58 meters) long, 59.5 feet (18 meters) tall, and 50 feet (15 meters) wide. For comparison, the largest airships ever built, the Zeppelin company's Hindenburg , LZ-129, and the Graf Zeppelin II , LZ-130, were 804 feet (245 meters) long and 135 feet (41 meters) in diameter.

That is, over four times as long and over twice as wide as the current Goodyear blimps. The largest blimp ever made by Goodyear was the U.S. Navy 's ZPG-3, at 403 feet (121 meters) in length. Names Goodyear blimp "Puritan" at the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair Since 1928, Goodyear had named its blimps after the U.S. winners of the America's Cup yacht race. This naming method is attributed to then-Goodyear CEO Paul W. Litchfield, [3] who viewed the airships as being like yachts in the sky. Although that practice deviated with the introduction of the Spirit of Akron in 1987, the Florida -based Stars & Stripes would be the last to carry this honor, ending in 2005. The America's Cup winners [4] names: Puritan, Reliance, Defender, Volunteer, Resolute, Vigilant, Mayflower, Ranger, Rainbow, Enterprise, Columbia, America, Stars & Stripes.

[3] [5] Non-cup winners [4] names: Pilgrim, [6] Neponset, [6] Spirit of Akron, [3] Spirit of Goodyear, [3] Eagle, [3] Spirit of America, [7] Spirit of Innovation. [7] Foreign based blimps (operated by The Lightship Group since the 1990s): Europa, [3] Spirit of Europe, [8] Spirit of the South Pacific, [8] Spirit of the Americas, [9] Spirit of Safety, [10] Ventura, [11] Ling Hang Zhe (Navigator). [7] Passenger policy The GZ-20 blimps Goodyear operates in the U.S have seating for only six passengers. No seatbelts are required. The only passengers that Goodyear will allow on the blimps are corporate guests of the company and members of the press. No public rides are offered. This has been Goodyear's long-standing policy.

However, for over 50 years, it had to offer limited public rides at its Miami, Florida , winter base on Watson Island as part of its land-lease deal with the city in order to operate from the island. That practice ended in 1979 when the base was moved to Opa-Locka, Florida . Night signs For years, Goodyear has fitted its blimps with a night sign. From neon tubes, to incandescent lamps to LEDs, these signs have helped the company advertise its products and also deliver public service messages from various organizations such as local governments. Neon-O-Gram Originally called NeonGoodyear, was first fitted on Defender back in the 1930s. Neon tubes on the sides of the blimp which usually just spelled out Goodyear. 10 Panel Incandescent Bulbs Skytacular: In the mid 1960s, the GZ-19 Mayflower (N4A) was fitted with over 3,000 incandescent lamps of red, yellow, blue and green on both sides that for the first time featured animation. Usually moving stick figures, ticker messages or colorful patterns.

A small jet engine had to be attached to the blimp's car in order to power the Skytacular night sign. Super Skytacular: Same technology as Skytacular, but with more than 7,000 lamps on both sides. Super Skytacular was fitted on the new longer GZ-20 blimps in 1969. EagleVision The Wingfoot Air Express , while transporting passengers from Chicago 's Grant Park to the White City Amusement Park , crashed through the skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank on July 21 , 1919 , killing one crewman, two passengers, and ten bank employees. [12] The Eagle, tail number N10A, suffered a deflationary incident in May of 1995, when the blimp struck the ground near the Carson, California, mooring site while unmanned. This blimp was repaired and rechristened as the Eagle N2A. No injuries were reported. The Spirit of Akron, tail number N4A, crashed on October 28 , 1999 , in Suffield, Ohio , when it suddenly entered an uncontrolled left turn and began descending.

The pilot and technician on board received only minor injuries when the blimp impacted with trees. The NTSB report claims that improperly hardened metal splines on the control actuators sheared, causing loss of control. [13] The Stars and Stripes, tail number N1A, crashed on June 16 , 2005 , in Coral Springs, Florida , when it was caught in a strong thunderstorm that eventually pushed the aircraft into trees and powerlines . There were no injuries in the crash, although the pilot and passenger were trapped for a number of hours until the powerlines could be de-energized.

[14] The NTSB accident report claims the cause of the accident to be the pilot's "inadequate in-flight planning/decision which resulted in an in-flight encounter with weather (thunderstorm outflow), and downdrafts ..." [15] The Spirit of Safety I, registered as G-TLEL and owned and operated by Lightship Europe Limited, (but operating in Goodyear livery), caught fire while on landing approach to the Reichelsheim Airport (ICAO code EDFB) and crashed on June 12 , 2011 , near Reichelsheim , Hesse , Germany . Three passengers were able to jump to safety shortly before the crash, but the pilot died in the wreck. [10] [16] Notable appearances in popular culture In 1976, Goodyear allowed use of its blimps for the filming of the film Black Sunday based on the novel by Thomas Harris , about a distressed former P.O.W. blimp pilot that helps Middle Eastern terrorists attack the Super Bowl with a lethal device attached to the airship's car. Two blimps were used for the conclusion. The base scenes were shot in Carson, California , using the Columbia.

The Super Bowl scenes where shot in Miami, Florida , using the Mayflower, which was smaller than Columbia. WGBH 1973, 58:27 min, b&w and color, sound Video: The New Wave is a seminal compendium of independent video work in the early 1970s. Written and narrated by Brian O'Doherty, this overview of the emerging video field includes examples of guerrilla television and "street" documentaries, early explorations with image-processing and synthesis, and performance video. This historical anthology includes excerpts of tapes by the following video pioneers: Stephen Beck and Warner Jepson, Peter Campus , Douglas Davis , Ed Emshwiller , Bill Etra, Frank Gillette , Don Hallock, Joan Jonas and Richard Serra, Paul Kos, Nam June Paik , Otto Piene, Willard Rosenquist, Dan Sandin , James Seawright, Steina , TVTV , Stan Vanderbeek , William Wegman . Produced by WGBH. Writer/Narrator: Brian O'Doherty. Producer/Director: Fred Barzyk.

Network Awesome - Mon, Jul 25 Cremaster 1 & related material Collection 30s 40s dance film Busby Berkeley (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berkeley's works used large numbers of showgirls and props as fantasy elements in kaleidoscopic on-screen performances. Career Berkeley was born to stage actress Gertrude Berkeley. Among Gertrude's friends were actress Amy Busby and actor William Gillette, then only four years away from playing Sherlock Holmes. Gertrude apparently named her son after both Busby and Gillette after they agreed to be the boy's godparents. The boy was named Busby Berkeley William Enos.[1] In addition to her stage work, Gertrude played mother roles in silent films while Berkley was still a child. Berkeley made his stage debut at five, acting in the company of his performing family. During World War I, Berkeley served as a field artillery lieutenant. Watching soldiers drill may have inspired his later complex choreography.

During the 1920s, Berkeley was a dance director for nearly two dozen Broadway musicals, including such hits as A Connecticut Yankee. As a choreographer, Berkeley was less concerned with the terpsichorean skill of his chorus girls as he was with their ability to form themselves into attractive geometric patterns. His musical numbers were among the largest and best-regimented on Broadway. The “By A Waterfall” production number from Footlight Parade (1933) made use of one of the largest soundstages ever built, constructed especially by Warner Bros. to film Berkeley's creations. His earliest movie jobs were on Samuel Goldwyn's Eddie Cantor musicals, where he began developing such techniques as a “parade of faces” (individualizing each chorus girl with a loving close-up), and moving his dancers all over the stage (and often beyond) in as many kaleidoscopic patterns as possible.[citation needed] Berkeley's top shot technique (the kaleidoscope again, this time shot from overhead) appeared seminally in the Cantor films, and also the 1932 Universal programmer Night World (where he choreographed the number "Who's Your Little Who-Zis?").

His numbers were known for starting out in the realm of the stage, but quickly exceeding this space by moving into a time and place that could only be cinematic, only to return to shots of an applauding audience and the fall of a curtain. As choreographer, Berkeley was allowed a certain degree of independence in his direction of musical numbers, and they were often markedly distinct from (and sometimes in contrast to) the narrative sections of the films.[citation needed] The numbers he choreographed were mostly upbeat and focused on decoration as opposed to substance; one exception to this is the number “Remember My Forgotten Man” from Gold Diggers of 1933, which dealt with the treatment of soldiers in a post-World War I Depression. Berkeley's popularity with an entertainment-hungry Great Depression audience was secured when he choreographed four musicals back-to-back for Warner Bros.: 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, the aforementioned Gold Diggers of 1933 and Fashions of 1934, as well as In Caliente and Wonder Bar with Dolores del Río.

Berkeley's innovative and often sexually-charged dance numbers have been analyzed at length by cinema scholars.[specify] In particular, the numbers have been critiqued for their display (and some say exploitation) of the female form as seen through the “male gaze”, and for their depiction of collectivism (as opposed to traditionally American rugged individualism) in the spirit of Roosevelt's New Deal. Berkeley always denied any deep significance to his work, arguing that his main professional goals were to constantly top himself and to never repeat his past accomplishments.[citation needed] As the outsized musicals in which Berkeley specialized became passé, he turned to straight directing. The result was 1939's They Made Me a Criminal, one of John Garfield's best films. Berkeley had several well-publicized run-ins with MGM stars such as Judy Garland.

In 1943, he was removed as director of Girl Crazy because of disagreements with Garland, although the lavish musical number "I Got Rhythm", which he directed, remained in the picture.[2] His next stop was at 20th Century-Fox for 1943's The Gang's All Here, in which Berkeley choreographed Carmen Miranda's “Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat” number. The film made money, but Berkeley and the Fox brass disagreed over budget matters.[citation needed] Berkeley returned to MGM in the late 1940s, where among many other accomplishments he conceived the Technicolor finales for the studio's Esther Williams films. Berkeley's final film as choreographer was MGM's Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962). Spirit of Innovation, based in Pompano Beach, Florida All three craft are outfitted with LED sign technology Goodyear calls "Eaglevision." This allows the aircraft to display bright, multi-colored, animated words and images. Goodyear also has blimps operating in other parts of the world. These airships are built and operated by The Lightship Group of Orlando, Florida .

In May 2011 Goodyear announced it will be replacing its fleet of blimps with three Zeppelins [1] Lifting agent The blimps are filled with helium . The helium is maintained under low pressure , so small punctures do not pose serious consequences for the blimp. In fact, one inspection element of the blimps is to look into the envelope for pinpoints of light which are indicative of small holes. The blimps have infrequently been hit by small-arms fire from the ground.[ citation needed ] Also, birds can hit blimps and make small beak holes. These incidents have not resulted in any serious consequences to the blimp or its crew. The Goodyear blimps are non-rigid (meaning their shape is not maintained by a rigid internal structure) dirigibles (directable/steerable airships). However, the term dirigible is seldom used in connection with blimps, being associated more with the great rigid airships of the past. Inside their exterior envelope, the Goodyear blimps are equipped with gas bladders. As the blimp ascends or descends, the internal bladders expand or contract to compensate for density changes and to maintain uniform pressure in the envelope.

Classes Goodyear blimp The three modern types of Goodyear blimps, since the 1960s, are: GZ-19, GZ-20 and GZ-22. The GZ stands for Goodyear-Zeppelin, stemming from the partnership Goodyear had with the German company when both were building airships together. However these three classes came many years after this partnership had dissolved during the start of World War II. The GZ-1 was the USS Akron , the U.S. Navy's flying aircraft carrier. GZ-19: Introduced in 1963 and discontinued in 1978 after the loss of Mayflower (N38A). The design for this class resembles the U.S. Navy's L class blimp . GZ-20: This class is what the current American fleet is composed of. Introduced in 1969, with the America (N10A) and Columbia (N3A) being the first two. This class is slightly longer than GZ-19.

However, in 2013 Goodyear will be retiring the GZ-20 and replacing with the Zeppelin NT . GZ-22: The only airship in this class was the Spirit of Akron (N4A). Originally built in 1987 to show the U.S. Department of Defense that airships were still militarily viable, it was the largest and most technically advanced ship Goodyear ever had in its public relations fleet, featuring fly-by-wire technology. However, Spirit was lost in 1999 and the company has not built one since, most likely because of the large expense to build and operate one due to its size and advanced technology. Zeppelin NT: Goodyear confirmed on May 3, 2011, that they will reinstate their long lost partnership with Zeppelin. Goodyear has ordered three Zeppelin NT LZ N07-101 models with plans to commence operation in January 2014. [2] However, the Zeppelin NT will be the successor to the current GZ-20 in Goodyear airship advertising.

Dimensions According to the Goodyear website, the three active GZ-20 blimps are 192 feet (58 meters) long, 59.5 feet (18 meters) tall, and 50 feet (15 meters) wide. For comparison, the largest airships ever built, the Zeppelin company's Hindenburg , LZ-129, and the Graf Zeppelin II , LZ-130, were 804 feet (245 meters) long and 135 feet (41 meters) in diameter. That is, over four times as long and over twice as wide as the current Goodyear blimps. The largest blimp ever made by Goodyear was the U.S. Navy 's ZPG-3, at 403 feet (121 meters) in length. Names Goodyear blimp "Puritan" at the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair Since 1928, Goodyear had named its blimps after the U.S. winners of the America's Cup yacht race. This naming method is attributed to then-Goodyear CEO Paul W.

Litchfield, [3] who viewed the airships as being like yachts in the sky. Although that practice deviated with the introduction of the Spirit of Akron in 1987, the Florida -based Stars & Stripes would be the last to carry this honor, ending in 2005. The America's Cup winners [4] names: Puritan, Reliance, Defender, Volunteer, Resolute, Vigilant, Mayflower, Ranger, Rainbow, Enterprise, Columbia, America, Stars & Stripes. [3] [5] Non-cup winners [4] names: Pilgrim, [6] Neponset, [6] Spirit of Akron, [3] Spirit of Goodyear, [3] Eagle, [3] Spirit of America, [7] Spirit of Innovation. [7] Foreign based blimps (operated by The Lightship Group since the 1990s): Europa, [3] Spirit of Europe, [8] Spirit of the South Pacific, [8] Spirit of the Americas, [9] Spirit of Safety, [10] Ventura, [11] Ling Hang Zhe (Navigator).

[7] Passenger policy The GZ-20 blimps Goodyear operates in the U.S have seating for only six passengers. No seatbelts are required. The only passengers that Goodyear will allow on the blimps are corporate guests of the company and members of the press. No public rides are offered. This has been Goodyear's long-standing policy. However, for over 50 years, it had to offer limited public rides at its Miami, Florida , winter base on Watson Island as part of its land-lease deal with the city in order to operate from the island. That practice ended in 1979 when the base was moved to Opa-Locka, Florida . Night signs For years, Goodyear has fitted its blimps with a night sign. From neon tubes, to incandescent lamps to LEDs, these signs have helped the company advertise its products and also deliver public service messages from various organizations such as local governments. Neon-O-Gram Originally called NeonGoodyear, was first fitted on Defender back in the 1930s. Neon tubes on the sides of the blimp which usually just spelled out Goodyear.

10 Panel Incandescent Bulbs Skytacular: In the mid 1960s, the GZ-19 Mayflower (N4A) was fitted with over 3,000 incandescent lamps of red, yellow, blue and green on both sides that for the first time featured animation. Usually moving stick figures, ticker messages or colorful patterns. A small jet engine had to be attached to the blimp's car in order to power the Skytacular night sign. Super Skytacular: Same technology as Skytacular, but with more than 7,000 lamps on both sides. Super Skytacular was fitted on the new longer GZ-20 blimps in 1969. EagleVision The Wingfoot Air Express , while transporting passengers from Chicago 's Grant Park to the White City Amusement Park , crashed through the skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank on July 21 , 1919 , killing one crewman, two passengers, and ten bank employees.

[12] The Eagle, tail number N10A, suffered a deflationary incident in May of 1995, when the blimp struck the ground near the Carson, California, mooring site while unmanned. This blimp was repaired and rechristened as the Eagle N2A. No injuries were reported. The Spirit of Akron, tail number N4A, crashed on October 28 , 1999 , in Suffield, Ohio , when it suddenly entered an uncontrolled left turn and began descending. The pilot and technician on board received only minor injuries when the blimp impacted with trees. The NTSB report claims that improperly hardened metal splines on the control actuators sheared, causing loss of control. [13] The Stars and Stripes, tail number N1A, crashed on June 16 , 2005 , in Coral Springs, Florida , when it was caught in a strong thunderstorm that eventually pushed the aircraft into trees and powerlines . There were no injuries in the crash, although the pilot and passenger were trapped for a number of hours until the powerlines could be de-energized.

[14] The NTSB accident report claims the cause of the accident to be the pilot's "inadequate in-flight planning/decision which resulted in an in-flight encounter with weather (thunderstorm outflow), and downdrafts ..." [15] The Spirit of Safety I, registered as G-TLEL and owned and operated by Lightship Europe Limited, (but operating in Goodyear livery), caught fire while on landing approach to the Reichelsheim Airport (ICAO code EDFB) and crashed on June 12 , 2011 , near Reichelsheim , Hesse , Germany . Three passengers were able to jump to safety shortly before the crash, but the pilot died in the wreck. [10] [16] Notable appearances in popular culture In 1976, Goodyear allowed use of its blimps for the filming of the film Black Sunday based on the novel by Thomas Harris , about a distressed former P.O.W. blimp pilot that helps Middle Eastern terrorists attack the Super Bowl with a lethal device attached to the airship's car. Two blimps were used for the conclusion. The base scenes were shot in Carson, California , using the Columbia.

The Super Bowl scenes where shot in Miami, Florida , using the Mayflower, which was smaller than Columbia. WGBH 1973, 58:27 min, b&w and color, sound Video: The New Wave is a seminal compendium of independent video work in the early 1970s. Written and narrated by Brian O'Doherty, this overview of the emerging video field includes examples of guerrilla television and "street" documentaries, early explorations with image-processing and synthesis, and performance video. This historical anthology includes excerpts of tapes by the following video pioneers: Stephen Beck and Warner Jepson, Peter Campus , Douglas Davis , Ed Emshwiller , Bill Etra, Frank Gillette , Don Hallock, Joan Jonas and Richard Serra, Paul Kos, Nam June Paik , Otto Piene, Willard Rosenquist, Dan Sandin , James Seawright, Steina , TVTV , Stan Vanderbeek , William Wegman . Produced by WGBH. Writer/Narrator: Brian O'Doherty. Producer/Director: Fred Barzyk.

Question: Since the 1960s, what advertising objects come in three models called GZ-19, GZ-20 and GZ-22?
Answer: Goodyear blimps